Forget it, it's just a "spirit."

Chen Shouyi stood up, stretched lazily, picked up his wooden sword and briefcase, and went out again.

Might as well go practice swordsmanship, rather than let the Shell Lady watch cartoons all day again. At least until the evening, he wasn't planning on letting her out.

Soon after, he arrived at the haunted house.

During this time, the old lady heard the noise and came once more, stood at the entrance for a moment, reminded him of something, then left quickly.

Chen Shouyi didn't bother with her and continued practicing until dusk before returning to the hotel.

...

Five days passed in a row.

During these days, Chen Shouyi lived a regular and simple life, occasionally dining out with Lu Weifeng or relaxing at a bar.

As for Wei Chenghao, after returning home five days ago, he disappeared without a trace and hasn't returned since.

During this period, his strength, perception, and willpower each increased by 0.1 again.

The increase in strength and perception was understandable, but the willpower increase seemed inexplicable. He guessed it was likely due to spending every day practicing swordsmanship in that haunted house and gradually overcoming the residual fear of it.

Unfortunately, after five days of sword practice, his swordsmanship only improved a bit.

Reached (Proficient 19)

...

Early the next morning, while Chen Shouyi was brushing his teeth, he heard a knock at the door.

With a toothbrush in his mouth, Chen Shouyi walked out of the bathroom, opened a crack in the door, and glanced outside.

It was Lu Weifeng, looking all excited, making Chen Shouyi say helplessly, "No need to be this early, right? Give me a few minutes!"

Before Lu Weifeng could say anything, Chen Shouyi immediately closed the door!

If Lu Weifeng hadn't instinctively stepped back, he might have gotten a nose hit, so he said with a bit of annoyance:

"Really, there's no woman in there, why so secretive? Huh, are you watching Peppa Pig first thing in the morning!?"

"Mind your own business. I can watch whatever I want." Chen Shouyi coldly retorted with a toothbrush in his mouth.

He ignored him; after spending enough time together, it became clear that although Lu Weifeng looked like a burly man, he actually had somewhat of a clownish nature.

Of course, it could be intentional in front of him.

Chen Shouyi continued brushing his teeth in the bathroom, and after finishing, he disregarded the Shell Lady's desperate struggles, tied her up again, and stuffed her back into the briefcase.

Then he opened the door and said, "Let's go!"

...

The Martial Artist Club was located in a manor villa by Sun and Moon Lake in the city center.

It occupied a considerable area, but not massive.

Compared to some affluent clubs, it seemed a bit shabby.

Just as they were about to enter, they were stopped by four fully armed guards: "Sorry, we don't accept guests here!"

"We're here for the martial artist assessment!" Lu Weifeng said with a smile.

"May I have your names?" one of the guards asked.

"Chen Shouyi!"

"Lu Weifeng!"

"Please come in!"

The guards immediately let them through.

"So strict!" Chen Shouyi marveled: "There are even guards at the gate."

"These guys might be actual soldiers, as martial artists and the military often collaborate closely. If we weren't semi-official martial artists now, we wouldn't even get in."

Inside the villa, there were already three people.

At such an early hour, obviously, no martial artists would come over; it seemed everyone was there for the practical assessment.

"That pervert I mentioned earlier is here; that's the young one," one person whispered to the others upon seeing Chen Shouyi.

The other two discreetly glanced at Chen Shouyi.

Even though he spoke quietly, Chen Shouyi's keen senses picked it up clearly.

He pretended not to hear and, while admiring the villa's decor, entered with Lu Weifeng, then sat on the sofa.

Soon, two pretty attendants served tea to them.

Lu Weifeng, quite sociably, started chatting with the trio: "This one looks familiar; probably saw him last time. You two are a bit unfamiliar, though?"

"Our physical assessment was in October; yours was in November," a bald man said grinning.

"No wonder! So, two batches combined into one."

"It depends on how many people pass the preliminary test. If there are many, the practical assessment will happen soon; if not, there's waiting involved. We waited for over half a month," the bald man said, frequently glancing at Chen Shouyi.

Being cautiously eyed by such a big guy every now and then, Chen Shouyi felt uncomfortable, so he turned to the bald man and asked: "Why do you keep looking at me?"

"N-no!" the bald man said quickly, slightly nervous, but once he started talking, he relaxed: "I heard about you and was just curious."

"What's there to be curious about?" Chen Shouyi said irritably.

"Yes!" the bald man replied submissively.

Chen Shouyi was speechless. Was it that the bald man was too timid, or had his own reputation become this intimidating?

...

As time approached, people started arriving one after another.

This time, three additional Martial Arts Notarization Office members arrived.

Besides the director, the other two were different.

One notary opened a room containing a cold weaponry, saying, "Choose a weapon each, then we leave. Our destination this time is Tunnel 10233 in the outskirts of Hedong City."

...

On the bus, Chen Shouyi held an alloy sword, resting his eyes.

At this moment, the director in the front seat suddenly turned and asked:

"Your name is Chen Shouyi, right? After the assessment, any thoughts? Any preferred destination?"

Everyone turned their heads immediately, looking envious.

This was blatant recruitment, almost as if he was preselected.

Chen Shouyi, quick-witted, promptly replied, "I guess I'll return to my hometown, Dongning City!"

"Dongning City, not speaking ill, but Dongning's offers definitely won't match those of Hedong City. Hedong's martial artist stipends and housing allowances are the highest in the province, and the situation in Dongning isn't good now; it's practically on lockdown."

"No matter how good the terms, it's impossible to afford housing!" Chen Shouyi got straight to the point.

The director's face darkened slightly upon hearing this.

This was indeed an issue. Since the power outage, people flocked to Hedong City, causing a housing price boom and continuous rise with no end in sight. The previous three-million martial artist settlement could buy a 100-square-meter house, but now it barely gets you 50 or 60 meters.

He contemplated briefly, then vaguely said, "True, but we highly value talent and can make special arrangements. For instance, our Inspection Department provides additional relocation subsidies."

"May I ask, aren't you from the Jiangnan Provincial Martial Arts Notarization Office? How come it's become the Inspection Department?" Chen Shouyi asked in confusion.

The director chuckled, "Our department's full name is the Jiangnan Provincial Martial Arts Notarization and Discipline Inspection Office. Martial arts notarization is just one of our duties; our main responsibilities are in the latter, handling and capturing martial artist criminal cases."

The other two notaries exchanged glances.

Was this still their stern, no-nonsense leader?

He was discarding his pride to recruit this young man.

Naturally, the director didn't imagine his subordinates were secretly critiquing him.

On one hand, he admired talent; on the other, he intended to form a good rapport.

With such body conditions resembling a Senior Martial Artist at seventeen, barring accidents, becoming a Grand Martial Artist was almost certain, and the entire Jiangnan only had a few Grand Martial Artists, including himself, totaling fifteen.

Though a Grand Martial Artist, despite appearing thirty-something, he was over fifty and had noticed a decline in his physical abilities, necessitating future planning.

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